My choir classroom is on the third floor of the Arts Centre. There are only two spots in the building that go above two floors, and those are the corner towers. So, I have a tower room, and that means several things. It means that I get to climb many stairs every day. Especially on... Continue Reading →
"Rachel! I'm inviting myself over. Is that okay? Are you and the kids home this afternoon? I haven't seen you in ages and I finally have a free afternoon." "Come on over! We're here." "Cool - I'm leaving school in about thirty minutes." "Great! See you soon." So began my Tuesday afternoon. I sat a... Continue Reading →
"Perhaps even more important, I still had a deep love for the place I had been born in, and liked the idea of going back to be a part of it again. And that, too, I felt obligated to try and understand. Why should I love any one place so much more than any other? ... Continue Reading →
I've logged a few miles in the last two weeks. A few miles and a few passport stamps. (Good thing it's up to date for the next nine years. This time last year was a bit of a crazy scramble.) Two and a half weeks ago I landed in South Africa ... spring break or... Continue Reading →
So, a week ago Friday I performed for an assembly at school. The kids were doing a talent show and I was the teacher "filler" act while the judges deliberated on a winner from the student participants. I decided to do a song by Ingrid Michaelson called "The Chain." Lauren introduced me to it a couple... Continue Reading →
Long day. No food in the fridge. Craving Indian curry and rice. Head to the nearest food court. There were only a handful of people eating dinner on the top floor of Westgate. A slow night in the mall with some of the usual types: An elderly Indian couple out with their grown children. A... Continue Reading →
As I mentioned a couple posts ago, I went to the coast with 18 high school kids in the last week of January. In many ways, it was like the trip I did last year at the same time. There were improvements since then - the logistics were smoother, the cooking was cleaner, and we... Continue Reading →
If anyone ever catches me considering a career switch to the United Nations or US embassy or some other such massive bureaucratic tangle, please slap me upside the head! About two weeks ago, I received an email - a forward of a forward - asking for volunteer school choirs to come and sing for (get... Continue Reading →
What does it take for a non-camper to become a camper? Get a tent and sleep in it. Bring something to eat for dinner, breakfast, and maybe lunch - whatever it is, it must be eaten outside. Voila, you're a camper. But what does it take for a beginning camper to graduate to the next... Continue Reading →
There is a nugget of time between the last grip of night and the first flush of dawn when the trees erupt in birdsong. As the inky dark dissolves into pale gold and the grey trees unfurl their green, the day inhales the morning and the breath is greeted with jubilation. The exuberant strains are... Continue Reading →
Of Wonders & Wanders 
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